Apparatus for lubricating metallic strips



y 1951 v E. R. BACKUS 2,555,021

APPARATUS FOR LUBRICATING METALLIC STRIPS Filed Nov. 13, 1945 2 Sheets-Shet 1 y 29, 1951 E. R. BACKUS 2,555,021

APPARATUS FOR LUBRICATING METALLIC STRIPS Filed Nov. 13, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F'IEL 2.

@ amww zh sk Patented May 29, 1951 "APPARATUS FOR LUBRIOATIN G METALLIC STRIPS EarlR. "Backus, Gla'ssport, Pa., "assignor toUnitd :States Steel Company, a corporation of "New Jersey Application November 13, l945fserialNo.628,121

(CIJ91 29) l-Claim. :1 This invention relates to the rollingof metal strip'and in particular to apparatus for continuously applying lubricant to the strip during the cold-rolling thereof.

It is known I to i be 'desira'ble for various reasons to lubricate metal str'ip, I e. T g., strip steel during the cold-rolling 1 thereof. It is also -d'esirable' to cool -the rolls of the i cold rollin'g mill as by flushing their surfaces with a' coolant liquid.

It has T been cu'stemary l heretofore to apply lubricant to the stri'p as-"it is"uncoiled prior to its entry into themill, the lubricant :bein'g 'sp'rayed or permitted to driponto the-"upper surface of the strip.

This method of a'pplyinglubriatil'lg rne diulnto the strip usually results inan uneven coating. This is not serious in thefearly stag'es of -the reduction because of the heavy drafts effected by the first few stands of the mill. The lubricant adhering to the strip is sufficient together with the coolant liquid applied to the rolls of each :stand, to lubricate the strip-thoroughly (and; prevent overheating thereof and excessiveiwear on the rolls.

The coolantliquid supplied tdthe upper rolls, however, descends onto the strip and tends "to wash'off the lubricant originally'applie'd thereto and it becomesnecessary,therefore, to apply ad- "d'itional lubricant t0*the-strip in the later stages of reduction in "order to 'produce satisfactory I cold-rolled material. in order to'turn out a good product, lubricant "must be 'applied evenly over theentire-extent ofboth upper and lower surfaces of'thestrip as ittraverses the-last stand'or'two of the mill since non-uniform application of the lubricant tends to cause the strip to finishoffgauge or with an imperfect surface.

I have invented a novel apparatus for applying a uniform film of lubricant to the strip just prior to its entry into the finishing stand or stands of the mill, usually the last two stands. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, I provide means engaging the upper surface of the strip to remove any roll-cooling liquid standing thereon. A squeegee roll may be employed for this purpose. I also provide a lubricant-supply pipe having nozzles directing jets onto the strip beyond the liquid-removing means, and a spreader roll engaging the strip beyond the points of impingence of said jets. The squeegee and spreader rolls are preferably journaled in a frame extending between the housings of one of the mill stands, such as the next to the last, and pivoted thereto so that the rolls bear on the strip by gravity. A lubricant-absorbing roll extending between the Z2 housings receiveslubricant from a secondsupply pipe and engages a strip-supporting roll which serves as a ductor'to apply a film of lubricant to the lower surface of the strip.

The invention maybe readily understood from the following detailed description which refers to the accompanying 1 drawings showing i a preferred embodiment. In the drawings,

Figure lis a vertical central section through a four-high coolingmill having the inventio'n -installed therein-the millbeing shown diagrammatically; and

"Figure '2is-a horizontal section taken on the line II-IIJof Figure 1 showing parts in plan.

Referring more particularly to "the drawings, housings A with rolls B journaled therein form one standof a 'niillfor cold-rolling strip. "The mill rolls are provide'd with means '(not-shown) for flushing their forward surfaces with an oilwater emuls'ion; as described above.

The apparatus of my invention may convenientlybe installed-on th exitside of thestand of rolls B which in practiceis preferably the third-"stand of a' four-stand'mill. This apparatus" includes an air cylinder d whichis pivoted by a pin B-on-a bracket' fiblted or otherwise suitably secured to the housing 'A.

oppositely 'disposed 'brackets 9, '9' on the roll housings provide bearings 5 for a shaft I0, I upon which is mounted a roll-supporting frame [2. 'Ihe frame is movable 'angularly' with the shaft in the brackets 9, 9 by means Ofacrank arm mounted on the endof theshaft proximate to the cylinder-'4, connectsdbya p'ivotpin l6 to a piston rod l8 operating in the cylinder. The arm I4 is secured to the shaft by a pin 30 and has a fork 32 at its end to receive piston rod IS.

The frame I2 includes side members [9 and I9, and upper and lower transverse members 20 and 2|, respectively. The frame I2 also includes hub portions 22 and 22' at each end thereof through which shaft It] extends. The frame I2 is secured rigidly to shaft in by means of tapered steel pins, indicated at 28, 28, driven into holes in the hub portions 22, 22'.

Side members [9 and I9 extend beyond the lower member 2| of the frame l2, thereby defining lugs 24, 24 in which is journaled a steel squeegee roll 26. The roll 26 rides on the strip C and, because of its weight exerts a slight downward pressure thereon, whereby it serves to remove any cooling emulsion carried by the strip as it enters the finishing pass of the mill. The roll acts as a progressive wiping means.

Pivotally mounted on the side members I9 and l9 of the frame l2, are lever arms 34, 34', in which is journaled a steel distributor roll 36. Clip angles 38, welded to the lower transverse member 2! of the frame I2, receive bolts 40 which pass through a connecting bar 42 extending between the arms 34 and 34'. In order to maintain good contact between the distributor roll 36 and the strip C, a compression spring 44 is placed around each of the bolts 40, with the ends of each spring bearing respectively on its clip angle 38 and the connecting bar 42.

Lubricant is applied to the strip in advance of the distributor roll 36 by one or more spray pipes 46 having nozzles 48 spaced therealong, as required, which receive lubricant from a suitable header, not shown. These nozzles are so positioned as to direct jets of lubricant downwardly through the central opening 50 of the frame l2, and onto the top surface of the strip C immediately in advance of the distributor roll 36, as indicated at 52. The lubricant-supply line 46 is mounted on an angle 54 secured to the housings A of roll stand B. The specific lubricant employed is immaterial, palm oil being the usual one. In order to improve the distributing action of roll 36, a shallow helical groove is machined into the surface of the roll extending completely across the roll face.

In order to assure a good finish on both surfaces of the strip, it is desirable to apply the lubricant to the bottom thereof as well as the top. For this purpose, an absorbent roll 54' is journaled between the housings to receive lubricant dripping from a lubricant-supply line 56. The absorbent material of the roll may be cloth, or any other suitable material. The roll 54' is mounted in a trough 58 in which excess lubricant collects. The roll 54' engages a steel tensiometer roll 60 which acts as a ductor, picking up lubricant from the saturated surface of roll 54 and applying it to the underside of strip C. It will be understood that the rolls 54 and 60 extend the full width of the mill.

The above-described apparatus fulfills the objectives of the invention. Thesqueegee roll 26 effectively removes substantially all of the rollcooling emulsion remaining on the strip. The jets of lubricant from nozzles 48 impinge on the resulting substantially water-free upper surface of the strip beyond the roll and a lubricant film is evenly distributed across the surface of the strip by the spreader roll 36.

When required, the entire apparatus can be swung upwardly about the shaft I as an axis by 4 means of compressed air applied to the cylinder 4. This operation which may be controlled by a manual valve facilitates threading the mill or removing broken strip.

The roll applies lubricant to the bottom of the strip, and the latter is thus provided with a uniform coating of lubricant on both sides prior to its entry into the succeeding mill stand.

Although the preferred embodiment of the in vention is that herein described, it will be 3J1)- parent that the invention is not limited to its adaptation to a rolling mill but is readily adaptable to processing lines, other than rolling mills, where it is necessary to apply a lubricant to water-free surfaces and to apply a protective lubricant on finished products.

I claim:

Apparatus for lubricating a traveling metal strip, said apparatus comprising a rectangular frame pivoted at one end on a horizontal axis above and transverse to the path of the strip and lying in a plane inclined downwardly in a direction opposed to the travel of the oncoming strip, a wiping roll journaled adjacent the lower end of the frame and bearing on the strip under the combined weight of the frame and roll, thereby effecting removal of any liquid present on the strip, a pair of lever arms pivoted to the frame adjacent said roll and extending downwardly therefrom, a spreader roll journalledin said arms engaging a transverse line on the strip after it has passed said wiping roll, a bridging bar extending between said lever arms, bracket means secured to said frame and overhanging said bar, spring means compressed between said bar and said bracket means, and means for discharging lubricant onto the strip between said rolls.

EARL R. BACKUS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 778,191 Hall Dec. 20, 1904 971,397 Nichols Sept. 27, 1910 1,150,092 Anger Aug. 17, 1915 1,212,854 Vuono Jan. 16, 1917 1,634,258 Halpin July 5, 1927 1,774,398 Parker Aug. 26, 1930 2,272,368 Dufiy Feb. 10, 1942 2,287,905 Richmond etal June 30, 1942 

